Self-guided Tours of Finland's Natural Attractions
"Blue Finland" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 12 days
Starting point: Helsinki
Finishing point: Helsinki
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
This 12-day touring route will take you from Helsinki's historic islands through the high spots of Finland's lovely Lake District and back south to the shores of the Baltic Sea. Along the way you can see a splendid lakeside castle, watch wildlife including rare lake seals, go rafting on white water rapids, and enjoy quintessentially Finnish scenery in some of the country's best loved national parks.
"7 Finnish National Parks" Touring Route

Starting point: Helsinki
Finishing point: Oulu
Level of difficulty: easy/ moderate / demanding
"Accessible Wilderness" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 5 days
Starting point: Rovaniemi
Finishing point: Rovaniemi
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
"Finland's Cultural Landscapes" Touring Route
"From Helsinki to the Taiga Forests" Touring Route
"Kuusamo's Renowned National Parks" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 4 days
Starting point: Kuusamo
Finishing point: Kuusamo
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
"Land of a Thousand Lakes" Touring Route
Family-friendly
Take an 8-day round trip from Helsinki to savour the scenic sights of Finland's famous Lake District, whose beautiful blue waters are dotted with rocky islands and surrounded by vast green forests. On your journey you can discover a splendid lakeside castle, learn about the history of forestry in Finland, and perhaps even spot some of Lake Saimaa's rare freshwater seals.
Read more: Land of a Thousand Lakes Touring Route, 8 Days (pdf, 1.3 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi).
"From the Baltic Sea to Wild Wooded Hills" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 5 days
Starting point: Oulu
Finishing point: Oulu
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
On this 5-day round trip starting and finishing in Oulu, you can discover many of the most famous natural attractions of this part of Northern Finland. Enjoy strolling along sandy seashores, watching birds in Finland's finest wetlands, and exploring the wild forests and hills of two scenic national parks: Rokua and Syöte.
Read more: From the Baltic Sea to Wild Wooded Hills Touring Route, 5 days (pdf, 1.1 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi).
"Discover Arctic Lapland" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 8 days
Starting point: Ivalo
Finishing point: Ivalo
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
Explore the spectacular scenery of Finland's far north on this 8-day route, starting and finishing in Ivalo. Hike in Lapland's famous national parks, and learn about the cultures of the indigenous Sámi people at Inari and Sevettijärvi, before heading north into Norway to see the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Watch out for reindeer roaming the fells, and salmon leaping in Lapland's wild rivers.
"From the Bothnian Bay to the High Fells of Arctic Lapland" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 6 days
Starting point: Kemi / Tornio
Finishing point: Kemi / Tornio
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
Take this 6-day round trip from Kemi, on the northernmost shores of the Baltic Sea, to discover the wild and windswept arctic fells of western Finnish Lapland. Stop along the way to enjoy activities from hiking and mountain biking up on the fabulous fells, to canoeing and salmon fishing along Europe's last untamed rivers.
Read more: From the Bothnian Bay to the High Fells of Arctic Lapland, 6 days (pdf, 1.2 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi).
"The Blue Finland Fishing" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 12 days
Starting point: Helsinki
Finishing point: Helsinki
Family-friendly, for fishers
Experience a land of water from the Baltic Sea to Finnish Lakeland and wild white waters.
"Land of a Thousand Lakes for Fishers" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 8 days
Starting point: Helsinki
Finishing point: Helsinki
Family-friendly, for fishers
Take a fishing trip to the scenic highlights of Finland's famous Lake District including five national parks where pristine blue lakes and raging rapids are surrounded by green forests.
Read more: Land of a Thousand Lakes Touring Route, 8 Days - for Fishers (pdf, 2 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi).
"Relaxation in Finland's Unique Archipelago" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 9 days
Starting point: Turku
Finishing point: Turku
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
This 9-day tour starts and ends in the historic riverside city of Turku in Southwestern Finland. Along the way you can explore the delights of some of the thousands of scenic Baltic islands that form one of the world's most extensive and spectacular archipelagos. The charming seaside town of Naantali is also well worth a visit.
Read more: Relaxation in Finland´s Unique Archipelago Touring Route, 9 Days (pdf, 1.6 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi).
"Finnish World Heritage sites" Touring Route
Allow time for route: 9 days
Starting point: Helsinki
Finishing point: Stockholm / Turku / Helsinki
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate / demanding
Family-friendly
Allow at least 9-days for this new motoring tour of bustling cities and historic attractions including four Finnish UNESCO World Heritage sites, old towns with colourful wooden buildings, and atmospheric castle ruins. Along the route you can also enjoy splendid coastal scenery in three different Finnish archipelagos – and also take a trip across the Gulf of Bothnia to see the Swedish High Coast.
Read more: Finnish World Heritage Sites Touring Route, 9 Days (pdf, 2 Mb, julkaisut.metsa.fi).
Sea Eagle Trail - boating / paddling - Explore the Southwest Coast and Archipelago of Finland
Allow time for route: depending on vessel, 3-6 days (ca. 155 km)
Starting point: Vuohensaari, Salo or other harbours
Finishing point: Vuohensaari, Salo or other harbours
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate
Family friendly when boating
Experience the idyllic villages on the southwest coast and the beautiful landscapes of the Archipelago and Teijo National Parks. The waterway around Finland’s largest maritime island, Kimitoön, is located within the three municipalities of Salo, Kimitoön and Pargas. The Sea Eagle Trail can be done by motorboat and sailboat as well as kayaking or stand up paddle boarding or even rowing. The “sea eagle” (i.e. white-tailed eagle) is the emblem of the Archipelago National Park - come to the eagle’s territory and experience the Archipelago Sea, one of Finland's national landscapes.
Read more
- Detailed map and virtual guide of the Trail (outdooractive.com)
- Pdf brochure (979 KB, julkaisut.metsa.fi)
Spectacular sillence - Explore the Southwest Coast and Archipelago of Finland
Allow time for route: 4-7 days
Starting point: alternative
Finishing point: alternative
Level of difficulty: easy / moderate
Take some time for yourself and come savour the season of silence at the wonderful sights of Salo, Kimitoön and Pargas as well as and the unique nature of Teijo National Park and the Archipelago National Park. Many visitors come to the coast and archipelago to find peace and quiet in the summer, but the best time to experience true silence begins in the autumn and continues through the winter right up to the threshold of summer. This tour introduces eleven peaceful destinations - plan you own route to silence or visit them all!
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Unique coastal villages - Explore the Southwest Coast and Archipelago of Finland
Allow time for route: 3-5 days
Starting point: alternative
Finishing point: alternative
Level of difficulty: easy
The themed route presents eight villages along the southwest coast on which you can set your wandering sights all year round. In these unique villages, you’ll be immersed in history, living village culture and spectacular coastal and archipelago nature of the Teijo and Archipelago national parks the whole year round. Some of the villages can be easily reached on bike or on public transportation. Take free public ferries or use your own boat to visit the villages on the islands.
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Island hopping in the Archipleago Sea - Explore the Southwest Coast and Archipelago of Finland
Allow time for route: 2-7 days
Starting point: alternative
Finishing point: alternative
Level of difficulty: easy
In the spring, autumn and winter, you’ll discover the tranquil village life of the islands. Island hopping is an engaging way to experience the world’s most beautiful archipelago. There are nearly two hundred inhabited islands in the Archipelago Sea, and ferries transport residents and tourists free of charge on ten different routes all year round. In addition to various types of ferry services, there are also scheduled and charter boat services available, particularly during the summer.
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Colour therapy - Explore the Southwest Coast and Archipelago of Finland
Allow time for route: 2-7 days
Starting point: alternative
Finishing point: alternative
Level of difficulty: easy
Experience the glow of autumn in the unique Southwest Coast of Finland, in its lovely parks and on the beautiful trails of national parks. Come watch autumn slowly daub the coastline and archipelago with its rich colours, bathing nature in a glorious glow before the long winter sets in. The Colour therapy theme route will take you through the cultural spaces of Salo, Kimitoön and Pargas to see the splendid autumn colour show in their parks and heritage landscapes. Village roads, manor estates and church parks are charming destinations at this time of year.
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